On Friday I went into town to go shopping with Tom before being dropped off at Muchinchi with my group to spend the night. Before we could go into town we had to wait for Innocent to pick us up because we needed to buy insurance for the Chimfunshi car. Tom, Kayla, Nikki, Josh, and I waited at a school on the way to Chingola and watched Zambian and American music videos. When Innocent arrived we piled into his truck that was already overloaded and made the short drive into town. While Tom and Innocent went to buy insurance the rest of the students and I went to find an ATM machine that would accept Master Card, because no other machines and so far on the trip. The line for the ATM was huge, and it took us over an hour to be able to use the machine, we even got cut while waiting in line and somehow didn’t even notice. The amazing thing was that none of us cared. We just stood there and waited with everyone else, talked about random things, and before we knew it we were at the front of the line. It didn’t seem like it had taken an hour but we were there for quite some time. Looking back on that experience in particular makes me really miss the life style of Africa and I really hope I will be able to bring of it home with me and apply it my lifestyle in America. I just know that if I were still in the States if I saw a line that long I would have been really annoyed and gone to find some other ATM. If I had to wait in that line I would have been really annoyed and constantly checking my watch seeing how long it took growing more impatient by the minute. But here it was not a big deal at all and I hope similar things at home won’t be a big deal either. Later in the day we went to Shop Rite and bought gifts for people at home and food for ourselves at those back at camp. We had a bit of an adventure trying to find eggs because Shop Rite was out. we drove to two other stores, that looked more like back alley warehouses looking for some. It was a very interesting experience and I won’t ever forget it.

Around five in the evening we arrived at the Munchinchi Women’s Center. We met up with Rebecca and Kristen who had been dropped off earlier that morning. It was getting late and we needed to start cooking dinner soon. First we went to go get water. From what the other groups had told me I expected the well to be further away but it was actually much closer that I thought.  I was amazed at the design of the well and it was really interesting to see the women able to pour the water so much more efficiently that any of us could. We had a few big cans that we filled and then put in a wheel barrow and then Nikki and I carried the two small cans on our heads. It was really fun to try carrying the water on our heads like the women do, but it was so hard. I had to balance it with both my hands and my arms soon became tired.

Dinner that night took  a very long time to make but it was so worth it. We had sweet potato fries, cabbage patties, which I need to learn how to make so I can have them at home, nshima with cabbage and rape, and beans. The food was amazing and I was so full after eating. While we were cooking the food some of the kids came and attacked me. They had just recently watched a Jackie Chan movie and were very excited to be able to use their karate moves on me. it was a little unfair of a fight, there was four of them and only one of me, although they were small their kicks and punches hurt quite a bit.

After dinner we danced in what Kayla and I called the everything room because we did everything there. We watched dance competitions and Zambian music videos and took turns trying to copy their moves. I am a horrible dancer so this was a little embarrassing but still a lot of fun. Around ten o’clock we headed off to bed. After a short reflection time Kayla, Nikki, and I stayed up talking about our trip and our time in Africa for hours.

The next morning we woke up early and met the women to make breakfast. We decided that it would be fun to make pancakes, and since I had a few apples with me we had apple pancakes. They took a while to make since we could only make one at a time but it was a great opportunity to take pictures and get to know the women a little more. When we had finished eating we walked to the clinic and looked around at all the rooms. It was really interesting to see the difference between an American hospital and a Zambian hospital. There was no doctor, only nurses, so the twelve thousand people that rely on that clinic would have to travel all the way to Chingola to see an actual doctor.

Once we had finished at the clinic we headed to the market to buy food for lunch. We had sweet potatoes with peanuts, and Chinese cabbage with peanuts as well. Preparing this food also took about two hours just like our dinner the night before. While we waited for the food to cook some of the women and Kayla and I played a game very similar to jacks. There was a circle drawn on the floor and you placed small stones in the circle. Then you threw one stone in the air and had to slide some stones out of the circle before you had to catch the falling stone. Memory was the one who taught it to us and she made it look so easy but it was impossibly hard. I was terrible at the game but it was still a lot of fun to learn how to play. We also played a few card games that the women enjoy. A few minutes before we were going to eat Dr. Bodamer came to bring us back to camp but we really wanted to eat our last meal with the women. So we loaded the car and then all of us ate lunch together. Just like the night before the food was amazing. It was sad to leave the women’s center. Although we didn’t even spend a full twenty four hours there it felt like home. It was such a great experience to be able to go and stay there. The women were so nice and welcoming and seeing what they do every day and how they live their lives really makes me appreciate all of the simple things I enjoy at home.